Youre Fired 2 (2/2)
“Oh yes. His fiancée came back from the front, dead. One of MY friends had a contact in the morgue. Guess which body we had shipped over for training, when Wight day came?”
“You did,” Graves said, forgetting to put the quaver of old age in his tone. There was a quaver there all right, but it wasn’t from age.
“And guess which trainee ended up with her body, staring up at him, when he pulled the sheet off?” Arxus said, sneering.
“You son of a bitch,” Graves said, standing.
“Hello, Bertie,” sneered Arxus, whipping a wand from a holster, and pointing it straight at him. “How’s tricks?”
BOOM!
”Chomp!” Madeline lunged. Arxus screamed as Madeline’s fangs went into his calf. The wand fired and black energy went wild, and Graves shouted words that were lost in the thunder of the cannon, as red life burst from Arxus and flowed into him. Over and over again he stomped forward, pounding his cane on the ground, shouting until the echoes of the cannon faded and Arxus was a shrivelled husk on the floor. “-Life! Drain Life! Drain Life!”
“Stop!” Madeline howled, crashing into him, and sending him off balance.
“You jackass!” Howled a spectral voice, and both of them whipped their heads around to see Arxus’ spirit, standing over his corpse. “You are so fucked!” And then he dove through the floor.
“He’ll get help,” Graves said, and from outside, down the corridor, shouts were already starting to rise. “I’m sorry. I’m…”
“Glub!” Yelled Madeline, grabbing up her pack. “Get ready to move!”
Wind’s Whisper Threadbare, she thought. “We’re made! Need an escape route!”
And then it was Garon’s turn…
*****
“She hated me,” Mastoya said, slurring her words. The second bottle crashed to the floor, empty, as she fumbled for it. “Nuts. That’s alcohol abuse, it is.”
“She didn’t hate you,” Garon said. “She loved you, she was just awful at showing it.”
“No. It was… it would have been fine, I guess, if it was just us, y’know? But she let Dad take me into th’ town to play. An’ I had friends. An’…” Mastoya slumped back in her chair. “An’ they got to play with dolls, and wear pretty dresses, an’… but not me. Not Nasty Masty. Had to wear furs and loincloths, an’ get my ears pierced early even though it hurt, and fight off the rats she called to eat me. The rats. Garon. She tried to eat me. With rats.”
“Yeah. We, uh, we got her to stop doing that after they nearly got Jarrik that one time.”
“I… shit. And Dad… what’s he do? He like acted all supportive and stuff, but whenever it was him ‘gainst her he’d crumble. Weak. Just… good man. She didn’t deserve, him, him. Hm?” She reached for the bottle, found nothing there. “Shit.”
“Yeah. Listen, do you believe me? Believe what I said about what Anise is doing?”
“Oh yeah. She’s a shit. Thing is…” Mastoya chortled. “The King is strong. He’s just... just giving her rope. He needs’er now. Needs’er till the dwarvesr dead. Then she’s nexx, nexp on the chokking blopp.”
“But what if she’s not? What if she’s playing him? From what you told me about Taylor’s Delve, it sounds like SHE was giving the order to scrub it.”
“You. You have no idea how much that hurt, Gar.” Mastoya said, staring at her hands. “My ol’ friends? Gone. Dead. But… it was… final test. It was what I had to do, to finish HER. To move on from ‘th past. In the end… Anise, the King… in the end it was gonna happen. An’ if I didn’t, then someone else would. So why shoodn’t I benefit from it?”
He opened his mouth…
…and Fluffbear squeaked up. “Because it’s wrong. It doesn’t matter who ordered it, it’s wrong either way. Killing innocents is never okay.”
“Yeah, well, Ritaxis don’t care. War hhappens,” Mastoya said, glaring at her.
“That’s bull hockey! Those were the people you were fighting to protect! What good is a war if you kill your own people? That’s worse than losing!”
“Wash your mouth, li’l bear!”
“You’ll never be a paladin that way!”
“Psh, what’d you know ovvit. Ain’t no paladins no-”
“Clarifying Aura!” said the little bear, and the office filled with light as she glowed, holy radiance easing in and around the toys and the drunken half-orc.
BOOM!
“There are,” Fluffbear said, as the echoes faded. Her aura did its thing, buffing mental fortitude and restoring sanity, bit by bit. “And I am one. And I tell you now, there’s good ways to wage war, but the ends never, ever, ever justify the means.”
Mastoya looked at her, mouth opening and closing.
And Garon stiffened, as Madeline’s message screamed in his ear. “Oh hell. Look, Mastoya… this isn’t right. You know it. At the heart of it, you haven’t changed!” He said, the words tumbling, coming faster. “You’re still my sister, you still don’t deserve the crap you go through, and you still want to be an awesome paladin! You can! Come with us! We’re fixing things! We’re putting it right! Come with us and help!”
Mastoya looked at him. Then she stood, wobbling. “Gar…” She sighed, and put her hand to her head, rubbing the crewcut black hair, and the scars under it. “Curative.” She said, and instantly straightened up, cold sober. “Innocents. Good men. Yeah. Thing is… I’m commanding a lot of’em. Not all innocents, but…” She moved around to where she’d put her sword, and picked it up. “They’re relying on ME.”
“Masty… don’t do this…”
“They swore to the Crown, but they’re my family now, Gar. The one I chose. And if I turned? I could never look them in the eye again. Yeah, I killed my mother, and it didn’t help like I thought it would. I just felt bad. I killed you too and I’m sorry, and I can never make that up to you. But them? They’re my redemption. They’re the one good thing I did, the one thing I tried that hasn’t turned to shit. They TRUST me. They know I’ll have their back. Just as I know they’ll have mine.” She sighed. “Holy Smite. Divine Conduit!” She said, and light burst from her, eyes erupting with holy glow, as a halo formed around her head, and she raised the shining golden sword high.
“Now surrender, Garon,” She said, in a voice that reverberated like thunder. “I don’t want to have to kill you a second time.”
And then Reason screamed, and all hell broke loose.
THREADBARE'S CHARACTER SHEET
Spoiler: Spoiler
Name: Threadbare
Age: 5
Jobs:
Greater Toy Golem Level 15
Cave Bear Level 12
Ruler Level 12
Scout Level 7
Tailor Level 11
Model Level 10
Necromancer Level 11
Duelist Level 6
Animator Level 12
Enchanter Level 10
Golemist Level 14
Smith Level 11
Sculptor Level 12
Attributes:
Strength: 125 Constitution: 139 Hit Points: 332(432) Armor: 52(65)
Intelligence: 226 Wisdom: 204(211) Sanity: 430(584) Mental Fortitude: 42
Dexterity: 147(154) Agility: 118(125) Stamina: 275() Endurance: 62
Charisma: 120(149) Willpower: 210 Moxie: 330(459) Cool: 20(48)
Perception: 125 Luck: 92(99) Fortune: 217(324) Fate: 15(22)
Generic Skills
Brawling - Level 43 (+14)
Climb - Level 13
Clubs and Maces - Level 9
Dagger - Level 9
Dodge - Level 8
Fishing - Level 1
Magic Item 1 - Resist Fire 13
Ride - Level 8
Stealth - Level 17
Swim - Level 5
Greater Toy Golem Skills
Adorable - Level 31
Bodyguard - Level 7
Gift of Sapience - Level NA
Golem Body - Level 26
Innocent Embrace - Level 14
Magic Resistance -Level 16
Cave Bear Skills
Animalistic Interface - NA
Claw Swipes - 26
Darkspawn - NA
Forage - 13
Growl - 2
Hibernate - 37
Scents and Sensibility - 20
Stubborn - 9
Toughness - 19
Ruler Skills
Appoint Official - Level NA
Emboldening Speech - Level 19
Identify Subject - Level 10
It's Good to be King - NA
King's Quest - Level 14
Noblesse Oblige - Level 30
Organize Minions - Level NA
Royal Audience - Level 22
Simple Decree - Level 15
Swear Fealty - Level NA
Scout Skills
Alertness - Level 3
Best Route - Level 3
Camouflage - Level 13(20)
Firestarter - Level 10
Keen Eye - Level 10
Sturdy Back - Level 13
Wind's Whisper - Level 15
Tailor Skills
Adjust Outfit - Level 4
Clean and Press - Level 13
Recycle Cloth - Level 1
Tailoring - Level 53(68)
Model Skills
Adjust Weight - Level 14
Call Outfit - Level 3
Dietary Restriction - Level 50 (+100 to all pools)
Fascination - Level 8
Flex - Level 20
Makeup - Level 10
Self-Esteem - Level 20
Sexy Pose - Level 2
Strong Pose - Level 15
Work it Baby - Level 50 (+50% to raw item bonuses)
Necromancer Skills
Assess Corpse - Level 12
Command the Dead - Level 28
Deathsight - Level 8
Drain Life - Level 7
Invite Undead - Level 12
Mana Focus - Level NA (+11% to sanity)
Skeletons - Level 19
Soulstone - Level 45
Speak With Dead - Level 24
Zombies - Level 3
Duelist Skills
Challenge - Level 9
Dazzling Entrance - Level 17
Fancy Flourish - Level 13 (20)
Guard Stance - Level 19
Parry - Level 10
Swashbuckler's Spirit - NA (+14 to cool)
Swinger - Level 2
Weapon Specialist - Level 29 (Brawling +14)
Animator Skills
Animus - Level 35
Animus Blade - Level 10
Animus Shield - Level 4
Arm Creation - Level 7
Command Animus - Level 19
Creator's Guardians - Level 26
Dollseye - Level 18
Eye for Detail - Level 20
Magic Mouth - Level 18
Mend - Level 40
Enchanter Skills
Appraise - Level 30
Boost+5 - Level 14
Boost +10 - Level 2
Disenchant - Level 7
Elemental Protection - Level 9
Glowgleam - Level 26
Harden - Level 32
Soften - Level 31
Spellstore I - Level 25
Spellstore V - Level 4
Spellstore X - Level 1
Wards - Level 2
Golemist Skills
Clay Golem - Level 2
Command Golem - Level 24
Golem Animus - Level 47
Golem Guardians - NA
Invite Golem - Level 11
Mend Golem - Level 27
Program Golem - Level 42
Toy Golem - Level 56
Wood Golem - Level 12
Smith Skills
Adjust Arms and Armor - Level 7
Refine Ore - Level 13
Smelt Down - Level 6
Smithing - Level 50
Sculptor Skills
Detect Clay - Level 8
Mend Ceramic - Level 5
Refine Clay - Level 16
Sculpting - Level 58
Equipment
Journeyman Tailor's Apron of fire resistance (+6 Armor, +10 Tailoring, Resist Fire 9)(+3 Armor, +5 Tailoring, +4 Resist Fire from WIB)
Okay Quality Bling
Ringtail Master's Coat (+5 CHA, +5 LUCK, +5 Armor, +5 Fate)(+2 CHA, LUCK, Armor, Fate from WIB)
Rod of Baronly Might (+5 CHA, +5 WIS, +10 Cool)(+2 CHA, WIS, +4 Cool from WIB)
Sneakypants (+5 Camouflage)(+2 Camouflage from WIB)
Yellow Belt of Bravado (+5 AGL, +5 DEX, +5 to the Fancy Flourish skill)(+2 AGL, DEX, Fancy Flourish from WIB)
Toy Top Hat (CHA +10)(+5 CHA from WIB)
Inventory
A Folded-steel Dagger (Dagger Level 10)
Tailor's Tools
A small jewelry box, now empty.
1 bead of Mend Golem (Level 15)
1 bead of Silent Killer (Level 10)
Minorphone (Enhances voice and social skills focused through it twice per day)
Quests
Unlocked Jobs
Berserker, Cleric, Cook, Cultist, Grifter, Spirit Medium, Tamer, Wizard
THREADBARE'S CHARACTER SHEET